University of Groningen: Humans of RUG: podcasts on the people behind the University

Who are the humans that make a university flourish? When thinking about the faces of a university, professors and students may be the first people that come to mind. But there are so many more: beadles, technicians, study advisors, secretaries, and many others. They all bring their stories with them when they come to study and work at the University, and they experience new stories together. Without them, the University would not be what it is.

‘Humans of RUG’ is a podcast series that showcases, through conversations with various guests, the many human faces of a large university such as the University of Groningen. It was developed by the 2020 cohort of the Young Academy Groningen (Sonja Billerbeck, Julia Costa López, Marcos Guimaraes, Lisa Herzog, Casper van der Kooi, Lukas Linsi, and Hanna van Loo), with help from podcast producer Wim Brons. The podcast looks at the history of the University, its students and professors, and the support structure within departments, as well as how the University is perceived by and interacts with the outside world; the city of Groningen. As such, it makes different parts of the University more visible to one another and to the outside. Listen to these conversations – with study advisors and academic prizewinners, with a beadle, a Dutch champion in 800-metre track running, the Mayor of Groningen, and many others – that bring the human side of this time-honored institution to life!